Q9

[LenaC504]

Hi everyone,

I am unsure how to select B as the correct answer, because it appears that multiple definitions of "realistic" are offered throughout the passage. For example, line 9 of the passage does seem to support B. However, lines 39-40 seem to suggest that Bordwell believes musicals to be "realistic" because they allow viewers to identify its genre as a musical and thus understand the story. This seems to lend support for A and perhaps even D (although the language "easily" does seem a bit strong). Finally, line 50--"even the viewer aware of the film's genre cannot remain entirely unfazed by the break in the film's 'reality'". seems to refer to the film's narrative plotline. This appears to offer support for A.

Will someone clarify how to eliminate these other answer choices and how to identify answer choice B as correct? Does this relate to the author's use of quotations ("realism" and "realistic") in the latter half of the passage, perhaps suggesting that they do not actually support those definitions?

Thank you!

[Laura Damone]

Hello there!

First off, I agree with you that lines 9-10 support B. The term "realistic story" is used and then immediately defined as "one in which the world of the story is self-sufficient and recognizably related to our own."

When the question asks how the author has used the term throughout the passage, this implies that the term has been used consistently. That means the way the term was used in lines 9-10 must be reflected in the correct answer. "Recognizably related to our own" is a good match for B's "resemble actual life" which makes B a strong contender.

The other answer choices, however, are not a good match for lines 9 and 10. The definition of a realistic story doesn't address narrative structure (A and E), technical elements (C), or genre (D).

Even though you might think that the term has been used inconsistently, the question implies that this is not the case, so any correct answer will have to be a match to this initial definition.

Regarding the later uses, you're right to be skeptical that they reflect the author's true feelings because they appear in quotation marks. Paragraph 3 is all about how Bordwell is stretching the definition of realism, and the lines you reference are evidence for that argument. Bordwell says people accept actors bursting into song as "realistic" because they expect that in a musical (38-49). But when the author reports this to us, s/he explicitly disagrees with this characterization (40-42). We can infer that s/he disagrees because bursting into song does NOT resemble actual life.

And when, in line 50, the author refers to such spontaneous singing as "a break in the film's 'reality'", the author is once again saying that people don't do this in real life.

So, even though there are words surrounding these later usages that deal with genre and narrative structure, the usage itself remains consistent with the definition in lines 9 and 10.

Hope this helps!